I will start with a quote I borrowed from our Mayor:
“Leadership is about inspiration- of oneself and of others. Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes. Leadership is not a formula or a program, it is a human activity that comes form the heart and considers the heart of others. It is an attitude, not a routine.” (author unknown)
At the August round of meetings, I and Mayor Clare Stewart went against the staff recommendation to refuse the development proposal at Carpenters Lane, Cooroy (Eco Cottages).
I moved two motions on the Eco Cottages proposal for affordable housing in Carpenters Lane, Cooroy.
An alternate motion* for approval at the General Meeting on 14 August to:
“A. Recognise that the development application raises non-compliances with the Noosa Plan 2020, particularly in relation to the Rural Residential Zone Code; B. Find that there are sufficient ‘other relevant matters’ pursuant to s45(5)(b) of the Planning Act 2016 to warrant approval the development application in the face of any non-compliance, which include: … C. Request CEO to prepare a further report to a future meeting which includes Infrastructure Agreement, deed of agreement, covenant, conditions and grounds for approval.”
The motion was lost (5:2)
And another motion to defer the decision at the Ordinary meeting on 17 August to allow the applicant time to provide more information (Lost 5:2).
The alternate motion I presented relied on the discretionary powers conferred by the Planning Act to decision makers to approve the application s60(3) if it can be shown that there is a planning need, and if there were other relevant matters s45(b) to support the approval.
The applicant accepted that the proposal as it stood presented a zoning conflict and non-compliances with the Planning Scheme. That was not disputed.
What the applicant presented, and what I argued at the General Meeting, August 14, was that there were environmental, economic and most significantly, community and social benefits with the project as well as a demonstrated planning need that, on the balance, outweigh these non-compliances.
I asked the Councillors to exercise the planning discretion conferred under the Planning Act to approve the application despite its non-compliance with the Planning Scheme.
Approve the application because the ‘desired deviation from the Planning Scheme serves the public interest to a greater extent than the status quo’.
The proposal was a bona fide community and affordable housing project within Cooroy.
No dwellings were to be sold on the private market. Three dwellings were to be gifted to St Vincent De Paul and the rest will be sold to not- for- profit community housing providers such as Coast2Bay and St Vincent De Paul. (Note: My alternate motion made approval subject to a deed of agreement and covenants to provide certainty regarding tenure and that dwellings would remain affordable in perpetuity.)
This was an emergency response to a crisis. What was being asked was ‘Special consideration’.
It was an opportunity to take decisive action that would positively impact/change the lives of 45 people.
Disadvantaged and low-income earning groups within the community, families, individuals suffering from domestic violence and single women over the age of 50 who have been identified to be some of the most affected groups within the community by the housing crisis.
I argued that it is not every day a private landowner comes along and offers 2.41 hectares of land to build 32 cottages.
And it is not every day that you meet Greg Phipps from Eco Cottages.
I argued that the person who really wants to do something, finds a way… the other finds an excuse.
It was these reasons that I did not support the staff recommendation to refuse the application and fought hard to find a way to have this application approved.
The staff recommendation for Refusal of Eco Cottages was supported by majority of Councillors (5:2, dissenting: Lorentson and Stewart).
(Please note, I accept the decision of the majority. This is my personal opinion and does not represent the position of Council.)
